Last Wednesday, the Park Board Planning Committee authorized staff to negotiate, but not yet execute, a reciprocal use agreement with DeLaSalle. The agreement will obligate the MPRB to devote public land on Nicollet Island to an athletic facility reserved for primary use by DeLaSalle, a private religious institution. Until this reciprocal use agreement is implemented, the Park Board has no legal obligation to DeLaSalle.
Commissioners were given a 60-page document with background material immediately before the meeting began, making thoughtful fact-based discussion or decision-making impossible. By fast-tracking this reciprocal agreement without public process, and by locking the MPRB into a commitment which hands off public open space to a private religious institution, the Board Majority does an extreme disservice to our city. The only voices that have been heard on this issue are those with special interest: the residents of Nicollet Island and the students/grads/parents/employees/etc of DeLaSalle. The wider community is being denied an opportunity to weigh in on an important land use question that affects our whole city. A dangerous precedent is being set of private institutions demanding public parkland, with our Park Board quickly capitulating � without public process and in the absence of long term planning. The parkland will be 'given' to this purpose without lease or sale. That is by design, so that what is effectively a land transfer can be completed without the super-majority of Commissioners that normally safeguards our parkland. This is a back-door conveyance of land. Commissioner Hauser, as a member of the Planning Committee and a proud parent of multiple DeLaSalle grads, should have recused herself from this decision. I am deeply concerned about our Park Board plunging headlong into a deal that gives public land to a private institution without a thorough and open public input process. It's not too late to make your voice known, to express concerns about bad process and backdoor conveyance of public parkland. Jason Stone Diamond Lake * * * Rochelle Berry Graves Commissioner At Large Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-230-6443 ext. 7 M. Annie Young Commissioner At Large Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-729-3359 [EMAIL PROTECTED] John Erwin Commissioner At Large Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-230-6443 ext. 8 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Walt Dziedzic Commissioner District 1 Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-230-6443 ext. 1 Jon Olson Commissioner District 2 Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-230-6443 ext. 2 Cell Phone: 612-710-2007 Marie Hauser Commissioner District 3 Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-230-6443 ext. 3 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Vivian M. Mason Commissioner District 4 Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-377-5238 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Carol A. Kummer Commissioner District 5 Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-230-6443 ext. 5 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Bob Fine Commissioner District 6 Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-230-6443 ext. 6 Jon Gurban Superintendent Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-230-6400 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Judd Rietkerk Director Of Planning Planning Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-230-6400 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Michael Schmidt General Manager Operations & Recreation Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-230-6400 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Don Siggelkow General Manager Administration & Development Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 612-230-6400 [EMAIL PROTECTED] REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
